The California Wine Club is a wine of the month club that was founded in the year 1990. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious wine delivery services in the United States and is based in the city of Camarillo.
The California Wine Club specializes in delivering high-quality wines from all across California’s wine country, including Napa and Sonoma counties.
In this article, we take a closer look at this historic wine delivery service with our own California Wine Club Review to help you decide if it is a good option for your wine delivery needs.
Things To Consider When Choosing a Wine Club
The idea of an online-based remote wine club can be a bit confusing at first for some customers, and choosing the best option can be difficult considering there are so many different wine clubs on the market that use different pricing and subscription models.
We have highlighted four of the most important factors to take a look at when choosing a wine subscription to help simplify the shopping process.
Price and Value
When it comes to selecting the best wine subscription service for your needs, choosing an option that fits comfortably within your budget is one of the most important factors. There are plenty of different affordable options to choose from, as well as mid-range and high-end versions.
It is also a good idea to look past the overall cost of a wine delivery service and determine whether or not it presents a good value. Price only refers to how much a given wine subscription costs, while the term value indicates the quantity and quality of wine you receive in exchange for your money.
Amount of Wine
When comparing different wine club subscription options, it is also important to take a look at how much wine is included with each shipment, along with how often new deliveries arrive. Some wine clubs deliver monthly, while others are quarterly or bi-monthly.
Choosing a wine club that does not offer an appropriate amount of wine for your lifestyle can leave you with too much, or not enough wine.
The best wine club for your needs is one that replenishes your stock when running low without stockpiling or running out of wine between deliveries.
Wine Quality and Region
There is a fairly sizable gulf in terms of wine quality between the most high-end and economical wine clubs on the market today. Some serious wine enthusiasts are very particular when it comes to which grape varietals and wine regions they prefer, while others are new to wine and prefer maximum variety in their deliveries.
Certain companies like Winc Wine Club make their own wines in an effort to offer a deeper and more robust portfolio while also keeping costs down.
While these mid-tier wines are not a good fit for wine connoisseurs, they are perfect for introducing newer wine enthusiasts to interesting blends and grape varietals.
Company Reputation
One of the best ways to “play it safe” and ensure that you are signing up for a high-quality and reputable service is to stick with one of the industry leaders. The top players in the remote wine delivery business are at the top for a reason, as they have all demonstrated a history of outstanding customer service.
California Wine Club is an extremely reputable company that has a very good reputation when it comes to both customer service and wine quality.
They offer enough different packages to accommodate all different types of wine lovers, and many people have stayed loyal members for decades for these reasons!
California Wine Club Review
The California Wine Club is a wine subscription service that specializes in delivering artisanal wines directly from California’s small family wineries to the doorsteps of its customers. It was founded in the year 1990 and has been providing wine lovers with high-end wines from the Golden State ever since.
There are currently six different options to choose from when it comes to wine subscription selections, and each of them gives customers a different look into the best wines available from iconic wine regions like Napa and Sonoma counties.
Along with some of the most interesting and iconic wines that California has to offer, the California Wine Club also delivers thoughtful inclusions like VIP access and wine tastings at any winery featured by their service.
Each wine shipment also includes an issue of Uncorked magazine, which keeps tabs on some of the most influential and interesting players in the world of California wine. New subscribers also enjoy a $25 wine credit that they can use toward any future purchase of their choice.
The Premier Series is a great place to start for newer wine enthusiasts who are just starting to expand their wine knowledge. It comes with two bottles of wine per shipment, along with all the gifts and extras expected from the California Wine Club at a very reasonable price point of under $45.
The Signature Series represents a major step up in terms of quality and prestige compared to the Premier series, and many people consider it to be one of the best high-end wine delivery options on the market today. It includes some of the best powerhouse wines California has to offer, and includes two bottles per shipment for just under $140.
For many years, the people over at the California Wine Club have been getting feedback from their customers requesting more worldly selections. The International Series is the only option containing wines from outside of the United States’ west coast and is a great way to explore new and interesting wine styles and grape varietals.
When it comes to California wines, it is no secret that “Cab is King,” as big and bold Cabernet Sauvignon drives the state’s wine economy in a major way. The Aged Cabernet Series features some of the most iconic and premium “Cult Cabs” from California, and costs just over $250 per two-bottle shipment.
The Pacific Northwest Series highlights some of the best wines that Washington state and Oregon have to offer, and it costs just under $75 per 2-bottle shipment. This subscription option is a great way to sample some of the best Pinot Noirs in the United States.
For those with ample wine storage space like wine coolers and cellars, the Case Club Series delivers on both quality and value. It comes with 12 bottles of wine per shipment, and it offers some of the steepest discounts of any California Wine Club option.
Pros
- Versatile wine delivery service with many different options to choose from
- One of the most trusted and established brands in the wine delivery industry
- Offers some of the best perks of any service of its kind
Cons
- Some people prefer more personalized services with tasting quizzes
- Not a great option for those who are more partial to old-world wine
Alternatives to the California Wine Club
While the California Wine Club is one of the most popular and well-known wine clubs on the market today, it is far from the only service of its kind.
We have highlighted three of the most popular alternatives and highlighted what makes them different from the California Wine Club.
Vinebox
Vinebox is a unique style of wine subscription service that offers its wines in single-serve vials as opposed to full bottles, which helps save on both wine and shipping costs. This makes it a great option for singles, and people who do not drink very much wine.
To date, the Vinebox company has tasted over 11,000 wines, and the company claims that only one percent of all wines sampled are chosen for subscription boxes. They curate artisanal wines from all across the globe and showcase many selections that can not be found anywhere else.
Winc Wine Club
Winc Wine Club uses a unique quizzing system to better understand the tasting preferences of its customers and sends them selections based on their answers. They then gather feedback to see how their members liked previous wines, and use that data to inform future curations.
Another thing that makes the Winc Wine Club unique is the fact that they produce all of their own wines. The company sources wine grapes from all over the world and creates its own unique blends as well as single-varietal wines.
Wine Insiders
Wine Insiders is one of the only wine subscription services that can say they have been in business for as long as the California wine club. It is one of the best options for new wine enthusiasts who are looking to expand their wine knowledge.
Each Wine Insiders shipment comes equipped with tasting notes that help customers build their tasting skills and knowledge. They also boast one of the best 100 percent money-back guarantees on the market, and they have a good reputation for taking care of their members should any issues arise.
California Wine Club Review – The Final Verdict
The California Wine Club is one of the most established and trusted names in the remote wine club business. They have many different wine subscriptions to choose from, and there is enough variety between the different options for all types of wine enthusiasts to find the right fit for their needs.
Click here to take a closer look at the California Wine Club, and see for yourself why it has been an industry leader for nearly three decades!
Also, feel free to leave a comment below if you are or ever have been a California Wine Club member, and let other interested wine lovers know what they can expect from a subscription!
